Tape coating mechanism



H. J. VAQHON 9 9 TAPE comma MECHANISM Filed Aug. 20, 1947 mgwllllllfllmm Patented May 22, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,554,131, TAPE coATmG MECHANISM Hubert J.u. Vachon,.Haverhill, Mass., assignor to Boston Machine Works Company, Lynn, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 20, 1947, Serial No. 769,745

This invention relates to a mechanism for applying a coating of liquid adhesive material to one side of a tape.

In several industries, including the shoemak-' tacky condition. In the applying machinathe tape is usually applied to a succession of objects such as shoe parts. When a work piece which has been taped is being removed from the machine and a fresh piece is inserted, there is usually a pause in the feed of the tape.

Furthermore, in the operation: of the customary type of applying machine, longer pauses will occur, as when a case of taped pieces is removed from the vicinity of the machine or when a fresh supply of work pieces to be taped is brought up. ,When such pauses occur, thefilm of liquid adhesive material carried by the periphery of the coating wheel starts to. drain back into the pool. Unless the pause is of very brief duration, the short portion of the tape which passes over the roll immediately after the .resumption of feeding may receive an insufficient,

quantity of adhesive. According to the present invention, an auxiliary supply of adhesive material is maintained just beyond the coating roll, so that if there are any gaps or insufficiently coated areas on the face of the tape which has come into contact with the periphery 'of the roll, such areas will be adequately coated with material from the auxiliary supply. According to the invention, this auxiliary supply is maintained by l surface tension between the under face of the tape itself and a scraper or wiper blade which makes an acute angle with the tape, converging to the tape in the direction of its motion. When the tape is being fed, it carries excess adhesive material from the roll to the wiper blade which removes the excess. This excess collects in the space between the blade and the tape and drips back into the pool, but enough adhesive is retained in that space by surface tension to take care of areas of the under surface of the tape which fail to pick up enough adhesive from the roll after a pause in operations.

1 Claim. (Cl. 91-33) For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description of an embodiment thereof, and to the drawing, of which Figure l is a plan view of a mechanism embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

- Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 2;.

' Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of a tape and the liquid-applying elements acting thereon; and

Figure 7 is a perspective View of a short piece of folded tape to be coated by the mechanism.

As indicated in Figure 1, the mechanism may include a cylindrical container l0 adapted to hold an inverted bottle of liquid adhesive material, such as a suitable latex compound. The

material escaping from the bottle flows into a rectangular box or receptacle [2 andformsfa pool l4 therein, the box l2 being attached to and communicating with the container in.

I In the side walls of the box ID are stub shafts l6 and I8 which support a coating roll 20 for free rotation on a horizontal axis. As indicated in Figure 3, the shafts l6 and [8 have conical ends projectin into suitable axial recesses in the roll 20 to support the same for rotation, but any other suitable support for the roll may be employed.

The shaft I6 is fixed but the shaft I8 is held in" place by a set screw 22 which can be easily backed oif to permit the removal of the roll 20 from the container [0.

The'roll 20 dips into the pool M, as indicated in Figure 2, the top of the roll projecting up through an openin 26 in a cover 30 on the box l2. The peripheral surface 3| of the roll is preferably knurled so as to pick up more effectively a film of liquid from the pool.

shown in Figure 2, passing first under a guide member 32, then over the top of the roll 20, then over a scraper or wiper blade 34, and finally under a guide member 36.

The machine illustrated in the drawing is particularly adapted to accommodate a longitudinally folded tape 40, such as is shown in Figure 7, but by reshaping the guide openings and the wiper The tape to be coated passes from right to left over the box,as

area contiguous thereto. For this purpose, the

tape is inverted to the position shown in Figure 7 and is fed through the mechanism illustrated in Figure 2 in that position. Thus, one side face of the rib 42 and the adjacent marginalportion 44 receives a coating of adhesive material from the roll20. 7

To accommodate the extra thicknesscausedby the overlap of the rib 42 on the marginal portion 46, the guide bar 32 is notched, .as at 5.0 -(-Fig. 3) to accommodate the folded tape 49, and a guide lip 5| projects out from the guide bar 32 (Figure 1) to bear on the single-ply portion of the tape so :as atol-help .to guide the tape through the notch 50. 'Th'eguide bar 32 may conveniently be hinged, as :at 52, to the ,cover :30 of the box, thefree end of the bar being resilientlyheld down b a spring on a:screw 56 which projectsup from the .box cover 30 through to an aperturein the bar 32. The spring '54 permits the bar .to yield upward whenever a thickened portion .of :the tape comes past,-as, for vexamplethe line of juncture between the successive lengths of tape which have been joined :-.together to :make a long tape-to be rolle up into-a sizable tape body.

The wiper blade 34 is similarly notched, as at 58, to accommodate extra thickness of the folded tape. The blade is inclined, as in Figure 2, so that when the .tape extends :thereover from the roll 20, asindicatedin Figure 6, the blade makes an acutezangle with the tape and convergesttheree with in thedirection of motion of :the tape.

.Inzthespace between the wiper bladeand the under :faceof the tape, excess adhesive material, which has :beenpicked up from the roll "22 by the tape, accumulates, as at 59, and a substantial quantity of. it is held there by surface tension, the rest dripping back into the pool 14 through the opening 26. 'Thus, the wiper blade 34 ;serves adualgpurpose of scraping or wiping-excess .ad-,

hesive :material from the tap and also retaining an-auxiliary supply 590i adhesive'material in contact with the tape so that in caseany .uncoated or inadequately coated areas of the tape comeirom the rollifl, such areas will thereupon receive a sufficient coating of. adhesive material.

This auxiliary supply thus becomes valuable,

when themechanism illustrated in the drawing is employed in conjunction with a tape-supplying machine to which the coated tape is .fed from' 4 riphery of the roll from which the liquid adhesive is drained is liable to be insufiiciently coated with the liquid. It is then that the auxiliary supply between the wiper blade and the tape serves to make up the deficiency and complete the coating of the under face of the tape.

The box cover 30 is removably mounted on the box "andiisxheld izrplace'by .a pin Bllat one end, which enters an internal -lug'-62 extending down from the cover, and by a screw 64, which engages aislotted lug 66 extending down from the other endrof the-cover, the screw 64 being threaded into a'hole in thebox wall. Adjustable spacing ele- .ments 6B :andllll :are .carried by the lug 66 and bear against the adjacent end wall of the box. Adjustment ofthe stops 68 and 10 serves to regulate the clearance between the edge 12 of the opening 26 and the periphery of the roll 20 (FigureZ Thus, the depth of the film of liquid adhesive carried up from the pool M by the roll, can. be :regulated.

:Securedato .the .under side of the box cover 30 is a rib which surrounds the opening 26 so that if :anyiof thejliquid splashes on the sides of the opening,.such liquid will not run along the under facecof ithe cover butawill drip back into thepool from therib :80.

I claim:

A mechanism for coating tape, comprising a receptacle .for liquid :coating material, a cover member detachablyiand'slidably mounted on said receptacle;saidicovenmember having a rectangular :opening therein and a rib on its under face, extendingaround and adjacent to said opening, airoll .rotatably :mounted in said receptacle on a horizontal axis with the upper portion of its periphery zprojecting up through said opening, releasabl'exmeans forsecuring said cover member on saidbox with an .edge of the opening therein. adjustably spacedifrom theperiphery of said roll, a guide bar mounted on :saidcover adjacent to said Ledge :ofitheopening, said bar having a notch in its under face which has two portions 'of different :depth to accommodate a longitudinally folded tape, .a guide lip projecting horizontally.

fromsaid bar over the portion of the slot which is :fof: lesser rdepth, imeans yieldably pressing said bar-idown against-the top 'of the cover member, a scraper bladefm'ounted on said cover member over a portion:of:said opening remote from said guide bar, and a second guide barmounted on said cover member and-engageable by a tape after it has passed-'said-scraper blade. .7 HUBERT J. VACHON.

REFERENCES CITED 'The'following references are of record in the 1 file 'ofthis patent: e

I UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Number .Name Date Re. E8;460 .Hammerschlag Oct. 22, 1878,

90,007 Armitage Dec. 31, 1901 7 9.98221 Wheeler July 18, 1911 1,195,310 White et al Aug. 22, 1916- 1;853,,569 :Moller Apr. 12, 1932 1,889,127 :Mann Nov. 29, 1932 2,016,216 Pike Oct. 1, 1935- 2312;927

(Murray Mar. 2, 1943 

